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Merkley tours Tribe — pg. 15
JULY 1, 2015
Eight vying for
Tribal Council
By Brent Merrill
E
Smoke Signals staff writer
ight Tribal members were
nominated to run for three
open Tribal Council seats
and all accepted during a General
Council meeting held at the Tribal
Community Center on Sunday,
June 28.
Because of Labor Day weekend,
Election Day this year will be
Saturday, Sept. 12. Eligible voters
must be registered to vote and
can register up to and including
Election Day. Each eligible voter
is entitled to vote for up to three
candidates.
Of the eight nominees, the top
three vote-getters will fill three va-
cancies created when the terms of
Cheryle A. Kennedy, Jon A. George
and Toby McClary expire. Kennedy
and George are seeking re-election
this year while McClary will be
wrapping up two consecutive three-
year terms on Tribal Council.
Following are the nominators
followed by the nominees:
•Tribal Elder Margaret Provost
nominated Kennedy.
•Tribal Elder Val Grout nominat-
ed Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member Steve Bobb Sr.
•Former Tribal Council member
Kathleen Tom nominated Ann
Lewis.
•Lewis nominated Tom.
•Rhonda Leno nominated Tammy
Garrison.
•Jerry George nominated Tribal
Council member Jon A. George.
•Tribal Council member Ton-
ya Gleason-Shepek nominated
Tribal Elder and former Tribal
Council member June Sherer.
•And Tribal Council member Chris
Mercier nominated Brenda Tuomi.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
The 2015 Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow will be the first powwow to be held under the new
arbor at Uyxat Powwow Grounds.
Veterans Powwow will be
first under the new arbor
By Dean Rhodes
V
Smoke Signals editor
eterans Special Event Board Chairman Steve
Bobb Sr. will be on his way to Germany to visit
an exchange employee that he and his wife, Con-
nie, hosted when the 2015 Marcellus Norwest Memorial
Veterans Powwow becomes the first to be held under the
new arbor at Uyxat Powwow Grounds, 9390 Highway 22.
“We’re pretty excited about being under the new arbor,”
Bobb says, adding that unfortunately he will be leaving
on the morning of Friday, July 10, for Europe. “I’m miss-
ing out on that. It’s kind of a bummer to miss that initial
See VETERANS POWWOW
continued on page 17
See NOMINEES
continued on page 5
If you go
Marcellus Norwest Memorial
Veterans Powwow
When: Grand entries at 7 p.m. Friday,
July 10; 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 11;
and 1 p.m. Sunday, July 12.
Where: Uyxat Powwow Grounds, 9390
Highway 22.
Cost: Free.
More info: Contact Reina Nelson at
503-879-2313 or reina.nelson@gran-
dronde.org.
Willamina OKs display of Tribal flag
By Brent Merrill
W
Smoke Signals staff writer
ILLAMINA — The Willamina School
Board approved a new policy regard-
ing flag displays that accommodates
a request from Tribal Council Chairman Reyn
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Leno to hang the Grand Ronde Tribe’s flag in the
school gym during its Tuesday, June 23, meeting
held in Willamina High School Library.
See FLAG
continued on page 20
Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno makes a request to the Willamina School Board to hang a Grand
Ronde Tribal flag in the high school gym during a board meeting held at the school’s library on Tuesday,
June 23. Tribal member Angela Fasana originally made a request on her own, not on behalf of the Tribe,
but the board’s newly approved policy stated a sovereign nation needed to make the request, so Leno
made a new one on behalf of the Tribe.